MUTHIA ( A GUJARATI SNACK)

Here I come with another snack item called Muthia.  Muthia is a Gujarati snack item.  Fist in Gujarati is called "Muthi".  This item is made  or shaped in a cylindrical shape or rolls  by using our fist.  It is a spicy steamed dumpling later on cut into pieces and seasoned and garnished with coconut and  coriander leaves.  

I had a Gujarati neighbour and she used to make this very often.  Whenever she makes this, one plate is  there surely on my table.  However, this recipe I am sharing with you all is shared by Ms. Rinku Shinde, my another neighbour.  There was lot of left over rice with her and she made this by using that.

ALOO BHAJIA, POTATO BHAJIA

Potato Bhajia or aloo bhajia is a very tasty snack especially  during winter or heavy rainy day.  The hot and spicy bhajia along with a cup of tea or coffee is heavenly and I love to sit near the sliding in my balcony and watch the rain.

For crispy bhajias, you can add bit hot oil in the batter or rice powder which will give a crispy texture.  When somebody comes home unexpectedly, it is an easy snack for me.  Also I  make bread pakoda for my unexpected guests if  dosa or idli batter is out of stock.


Note:  I used to add one or two teaspoon dosa or idli batter in it instead of rice powder.  I also make the bhajias with dosa batter by adding 1/4 cup besan for 1 cup dosa batter.

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Coconut chutney is an accompaniment for dosa, idli, ven pongal etc.  It is made out of coconut with green chilly, chutney dal etc. The dosa and idli is incomplete with chutney.  It is very simple and easy to make.

DOSA

For making dosa we can use the boiled rice as well as raw rice.   Dosa can be served for breakfast, evening snacks or dinner.  If you give me dosa any time, I am ready to eat with sambar, chutney, rasam etc.

 Here I have used the Surti Kolam rice, urid dal, tur dal and fenugreek seeds for making the batter.

SCHEZWAN DOSA

Dosa is liked by all with sambar, chutney specially when it is served hot in plantain leaf.  I love to eat in plantain leaf whenever I get a chance, I never miss it.  Schezwan dosa, rice is also the favourite of children, especially.  today when  I was making dosa, though I will make this too as I had the vegetables with me.

BROCOLI STEM CHUTNEY

I have posted various chutneys on my blog.  Here is another simple, easy and delicious chutney with the stem of brocolli.  After removing the florets, I used to make use of the stem in some subzi, dal or in soup.  Today I prepared dosa and wants to make some chutney with it as I was lazy to make sambar.  Yesterday I boiled the florets and gave to my daughter and husband and the stem was lying in the fridge.  It became handy today for me to make the chutney.  With some fried chana dal and onion, the chutney was very tasty with dosa.

SEVAI RAVA UPMA

Upma is a breakfast item served in every household.  It is also served as dinner.  Made out of semolina with some veggies, it is an awesome breakfast with some hot pickle, chutney or sambar.  I prefer to have it with yoghurt and lime pickle.  Normally it is made with semolina, but here I have made it with some sevai too.

sevai rava upma

AMLA CANDY

Amla has got lot of medicinal values.  It is used in preparing lots of auyervedic medicines.  It is rich in Vitamin C.  It is good for diabetic patients.  During amla season, you can make candy and store it.  You need only sugar and amla for making this.  Sugar syrup which is obtained while making candies can be used as a amla sharbat so that it does not go waste.

Let us look at the recipe now:

Ingredients:

1/2 kg amla
400 gms sugar

Method:

Wash and pat dry the amla.  In a large vessel boil enough water to immerse the amlas. when the water is boiled, add the amlas and boil for 2-3 minutes.  switch off gas.  allow to remain the same in the hot water for another two minutes.  after that drain and allow to cool.  now cut the amlas into pieces.  put the amlas in a vessel and sprinkle 350 gms sugar on top of the amla, cover and keep for 3 days. by the time, the sugar will melt and  the amlas will settle down.  on the fourth day, remove the amlas from the syrup and put it in a plate and sun dry the same.  once it is dried, powder the remaining sugar and coat the candies with the powdered sugar.  I did not do that, by the time my candies got over.  You can store  it in airtight container.

SAMBHAR POWDER

Sambar powder is one of the main ingredient in the South Indian kitchen.  Without sambar powder and rasam powder, the kitchen is incomplete.  Some people use the sambar powder only for making rasam, however, while preparing rasam, we add little bit of black pepper powder  and cumin powder  in it.

Sambar powder is made in different ways by different people.  I am presenting my way of preparing it here.  This can be powdered and stored for a month.  More than that I do not prefer because always fresh powder I prefer.

You can fry the ingredients and grind together with coconut for Arcachu Vitta Sambhar.

SAMBHAR

Sambhar is normally made in every South Indian house daily.  It is also prepared by North Indians communities along with Dosa, Idli, uttappam etc.  It is a combination of certain vegetables boiled in tamarind pulp and tur dal boiled and mixed in it.  the masalas can be freshly ground or sambar powder you can use it. It goes well with Idli, Dosa, Uttappa and rice also.

Normally, I make sambhar with the sambar powder without coconut and tamarind  as we do not consume both  at all.  For arachuvitta sambar,  the masala is freshly ground along with coconut and added to sambar.

TOMATO CHUTNEY

Chutney goes well with dosa, idli and sometimes with rice and dal too.  This tomato chutney made with tomato, onion, fried chana dal etc.  is one which goes with everything.  Very simple and easy to make.  I have posted varieites of chutneys which can be viewed in my blog.

Tomato Chutney

PALAK DOSA

Green leafy vegetables are always good for health.  Palak or spinach has abundance of Vitamin K & A,  B2, B 6  & C, mangesium, potassium iron (folate), calcium.  It is also a rich source of protein, phosphours and Vitamin E, zinc, dietary fiber, copper and omega 3 fatty acids.  Less calories, fat free, cholesterol free hence need not worry about putting up flab around your tummy.  

I prepared today, Palak dosa for breakfast.  I was totally exhausted and tired so I could not think of making any elaborate dish for the breakfast.  Had 4-5 bread pieces so made dosa out of it.  I have already posted bread dosa and taken most of the ingredients from that plus the blanched palak leaves.

BREAD DOSA

Dosa with sambar and chutney anytime you serve is liked by everyone.  Varieties of dosas are made.  Here I have tried with left over bread and the sides of the bread with some semolina and came out very well.  It is an instant dosa which can be made very easily for unexpected guests.  If you add palak puree in it, you can  make it as Palak dosa.

INSTANT AMLA SWEET CHUTNEY

Amla is the rich source of Vitamin C.  During the season, I make lot of gooseberry pickle, gooseberry rice,out of it.  I love the gooseberry chutney too.  Today's special is  instant sweet chutney out of it.  This is my 400th post.  I thought of posting a sweet dish but without realising it, I posted the jackfruit jam and jackfruit kheer before this.  Any way, life is mixture of sorrows, happiness and the food is also sweet, sour and spicy.

JACKFRUIT KHEER, CHAKKA PRADHAMAN, JACKFRUIT PAYASAM

Jackfruit kheer, jackfruit payasam, chakka pradhaman whatever you call is a very delicious kheer made out of jackfruit, jaggery and coconut milk with fried coconut bits in it adds flavour to it.  We can make jackfruit jam and preserve it.  whenever we want, we can make pradhaman out of it.  It is a part of occasion, feast in Kerala as jackfruit is available in abundance.  Here I have made the kheer with only 3 pcs of jackfruit which will suffice only for one person.

JACKFRUIT JAM, CHAKKA VARATTI

Jack fruit jam is made and preserved in fridge during the season.  It is quite a hectic job to make this as it will splash around all over when you are making in bulk.  Still the effort is work as the jam is very delicious.  The same can be served with adai, as a bread spread and can make kheer (pradhaman ), elai appam etc.  out of it. Jackfruit kheer or chakka pradhaman is a famous payasam of Kerala.

Here I am giving you a recipe of very very small quantity

JACKFRUIT SEED SUBZI

Jackfruit is liked by everyone.  We can make various dishes out of jackfruit. I have already posted kathal-kofta-curry The chips made out of this is also very tasty to  munch with a cup of tea or coffee.  See the post  jack fruit seed chips.  We can fry the seeds, make kheer, subzi etc.    Here I am presenting the subzi recipe for you.

AMLA SHARBAT, AVLA SHARBAT, NELLIKKAI SHARBAT, GOOSBERRY SHARBAT

During the season of Amla, I made pickles and candies.  I have also posted gooseberry chutney, gooseberyy pickle, gooseberry rice etc.  After making candies, the balance sugar syrup was  used to make amla sharbat as I do not want to waste the same.  I also added some syrup to the pickle and have kept it.

Amla contains vitamin C and is good for diabetic people.  One amla taken every day is very helpful.

IDICHU PIZHINJA PAYASAM, CHADHACHADAYAM, RICE KHEER WITH COCONUT MILK

This kheer or payasam is very special during Shasta preeti.  Shasta preeti is conducted in praise of Lord Ayyappa  during the Sabarimala season.  The pilgrimage begins in the month of November and ends in January.   Mandala pooja and Makaravilakku are the main events during the piligrims.   The Makarajyoti coincide with Makar Sankrant.   

The blend of coconut milk with rice and jaggery  is mouth watering and one cannot forget the taste of it.  I love this kheer as it has got a very special aroma comes in especially when it is made during the pooja.

I always prefer to make the same with fresh coconut milk, but due to lack of time to go through the tedious process involved in it, I use the short cut i.e. prefer to use the store bought ones. 

WOOD APPLE JUICE

As I have already prepared three dishes like wood apple chutney, wood apple pachadi and wood apple rice,  out of one wood apple by dividing into four portions, the fourth post is  juice.  After preparing the three items, i did not get time to try this hence had kept the pulp in the fridge.  When my neighbour came, I asked her whether she would like to taste it, she agreed.  I had some water in a bottle in the fridge so prepared it and was awesome.

PALAK PAPAD

Papad is served with rice, sambar combo and pulao, raita combo, rice, vattal kuzhambu combo.  It is also served as Masala Papad.  Varieties of papad are available like urad, garlic, masala, rice etc.  Ila vadam, rice papad made by South Indians.  Here is a slight variation of that by adding palak in it.  You fry it or roast it, it is liked by everyone.   thattai vadam.   Killu Karuvadam, So enjoy.

WOOD APPLE RICE, BEL FRUIT RICE, ELEPHANT APPLE RICE, MONKEY FRUIT RICE

We all prepare lemon rice, curd rice, dill rice, vegetable rice, mango rice, amla rice, tomato rice,  pulao and the varieties are endless.  Here is another variety of rice with wood apple.  Since I purchased a wood apple which was raw and was tasting sour, I decided to make wood apple chutney, wood apple pachadi , wood apple juice etc.  Here I am presenting the wood apple rice recipe.  It tastes like lime rice since it has got the sourness in it.

WOOD APPLE PACHADI, ELEPHANT APPLE PACHADI, MONKEY FRUIT PACHADI, BEL FRUIT PACHADI

I have already posted wood apple chutney.  This is yet another recipe with bel fruit, sweet pachadi.  This pachadi can be served with molagootal, curd rice and for ven pongal, dosa, idli too.  wood-apple-rice. wood apple juice

It is made with the pulp of bel fruit, chilli powder and jaggery without much hassle and easy to prepare.

WOOD APPLE CHUTNEY, BEL FRUIT CHUTNEY, ELEPHANT APPLE, MONKEY FRUIT

Wood apple is also known as bel fruit, elephant apple and monkey fruit.  It has got a hard shell somewhat similar to coconut and pulp inside.  It is used for curing various diseases.  It is also used in culinary purpose. It acts as blood cleanser, helps in digestive problems and also removes the worms from the intestine, good for diabetes also.

I happened to the market last time and picked up one but could not make it and got spoiled.  Today when I went to the market, I  saw this and picked up one.  Fortunately or unfortunately, it was a raw one, tastes bit sour.  Hence I decided to make three to four items with the one wood apple pulp as except me no one will eat this stuff.  I made sweet  wood apple pachadi, wood apple chutney, wood apple juice  and wood apple rice from this.

We  must select the one which has got a  sweet smell.  If it is hard,keep it under the sun for two to three days, it will ripen.  Sometimes, there is chance of getting spoiled too if it is not a matured fruit.

video: wood apple chutney

BHAGAR MILK KHEER, SAMO RICE MILK KHEER

I have already posted 3-4 items of  vari tandul or sanwa or samo rice or bhagar or chama ari or moriyo it is called.  Bhagar sarkara pongal  moriyo-ven-pongal, moriyo-dosa bhagar dosa etc.   Now I am presenting the Bhagar milk kheer.  Very easy to prepare, healthy and  a nice dish for fasting day.

BHAGAR SARAKARA PONGAL, SANWA SWEET PONGAL

Pongal festival is falling on 14th January this year.  Normally everyone make the pongal sweet and savoury with rice.  I am presenting the sweet pongal with samo rice.  Already posted  the savoury version.

This rice is used to prepare varieties of dishes during fasting.    Today is Vaikunda Ekadasai and my son's date of birth.  So thought of making this sweet dish for the neivedyam as well as for the birth day.  I made Bhagar sarakara Pongal as well as  bhagar milk kheer.  I have also posted Moriyo ven pongal and Moriyo dosa.   Here is the recipe of Sarkara Pongal.

MORIYO VEN PONGAL, SAMA RICE VEN PONGAL, CHAMA ARI VEN PONGAL

Ven Pongal is a light and healthy dish made out of rice and moongdal.  I have already posted the Dalia Ven Pongal.  Now I am presenting the Moriyo Ven Pongal or Sama rice ven pongal, chama ari ven pongal, bhagar ven pongal called by various name in different languages.  This dish is served hot with sambar and chutney.

VEN PONGAL

Ven pongal is made usually by Tamilians for Pongal.  It is served as breakast too.  For wedding and all, this is compulsory in Tamil Nadu for Breakfast as I have observed with medu vada, chutney and sambar.   This is named as Kichadi in North India. and served hot with Kadhi, papad and pickle.   It is made with rice, moongdal, pepper corns, cumin seeds etc. The ghee and fried cashewnuts adds flavour to it.  I have also prepared this with Samo rice or Moriyo rice.  
I have also posted Dalia Ven Pongal. &   moriyo-ven-pongal-sama-rice-ven-pongal.html  

DALIA VEN PONGAL (BROKEN WHEAT VEN PONGAL)

Pongal festival is on 14th of this month, I thought of sharing some pongal recipes.   Ven pongal is a South Indian dish served for breakfast.    Basically, it is a mixture of rice and moongdal cooked  with pepper corns, cumin seeds etc. garnished with cashewnuts and served with chutney or  sambar.  You serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the hot pongal like khichadi  made in North India is all time favourite.  I have seen this given as prasadam in temples too.  moriyo-ven-pongal-sama-rice-ven-pongal.html

Here is the variation with lapsi or dalia it is called.   Normally it is prepared with moongdal but I have added some vegetables too in it to enhance the taste as well as to make it more attractive for children to eat this.  

Ingredients:

1/2  cup lapsi (medium size) (broken wheat)

2 cups water

1/2 cup masoor dal

1 tbsp finely chopped french beans

1 tbsp finely chopped carrots

1 tbs green peas (optional)

1 tbs finely chopped potatoes

1 tbs each of bell peppers (red, green and yellow)

1/4 tsp crushed black pepper/cumin

1/4 tsp whole black pepper

salt

grated coconut (optional)

salt

turmeric powder a pinch

asafoetida

curry leaves

1 tsp  oil

1 tsp ghee

Garnishing;

Cashewnuts

1 tsp ghee

Method:

Wash the lapsi,  masoor dal, keep aside. You can use moong dal.  If you are using moongdal, dry roast the same till nice aroma comes, do not burn.  In a kadai, heat the oil and ghee, add the curry leaves, crushed black pepper/cumin, whole black pepper, asafoetida.  add the veggies and saute for a minute. add the water, turmeric powder, salt and bring to a boil.  add the lapsi/masoor dal, mix and cover it.  cook till it is done.

in case you feel that it is not cooked, add some hot water.   fry the cashews and garnish.  lapsi ven pongal is ready. 

serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar or any other chutneys.

MORIYO DOSA, VARI TANDULACHI DOSA,, SAMA CHVAL KI DOSA, CHAMA ARI DOSA

Dosa varieties are many.  Any kind of dosa with sambar or chutney is loved by everyone if it is served hot.  We had guests in the week end from Ahmadabad.  My husband's cousin brother and fly.  When she saw me clicking photographs of certain items prepared, she gave me the recipe of this.  I have made upma, mango-burfi.html with vari tandul.  Now I am posting the dosa recipe.  It is very simple and easy to make like the normal dosa only.















Let us look at the recipe now:

3 cups vari tandul
1 cup urid dal
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp beaten rice, poha
salt

Method:

wash and soak the vari tandul for 2 hours with the fenugreek seeds.  wash and soak the urid dal for 1/2 hr. just before grinding, soak the poha too.  grind them in mixer separately the urid dal and vari tandul.  while grinding thandul, add the poha.  Add salt and mix well.  keep it for fermentation.  Heat tava apply oil and make the dosas as you make the normal dosas.


varieties of dosas:

tricolour-dosa-tiranga-dosa.
cucumber-dosa.
jaggery-dosa-vella-dosa-sweet-dosa-gud.
water-melon-dosa-tarboosini-dosa-dosa.
dill-leaves-dosa.
mix-sprouts-dosaadai
adai-rice-and-lentil-crepe
bun-dosa
banana-dosa.
masala-dosa.
wheat-flour-dosa-godumai-dosa.
rava-dosa-sujidosa-semolina-dosa.
ragi-dosa-and-uttappa.
neer-dosa.
vermicelli-dosa.
rasam-dosa.
muringa-elai-adai-drumstick-leaves-adai.
junglee-rolls.

BANANA WALNUT CAKE (EGGLESS) l Cakes/bakes

Now my adventurous journey has begun with trying out bakery products.  One of my colleague gave me this recipe yesterday and I was sure that I am going to try this today without eggs.  She gave me a version with egg.  I used Flaxeeds in place of egg and the end product was awesome. The taste of banana and walnut in it makes the cake very yummy.

RASAM VADAI, RASA VADA

Rasam vadai or rasa vada is usually made whenever we make medu vada.  The real taste of rasam vada is when you make vada, you must put the same in the rasam diretly.  Then only the real taste of rasam vada you can enjoy.  This was told to me by one uncle when I served him in one of the occasion.  Since then, I followed his method and really enjoyed.  recently I tried with dosa and it was awesome.

RASAM DOSA

Rasam and dosa are my favourite.  Any time you give me rasam and rice, I am always ready to eat this with roasted papad.  I do not need any dry subzi along with it.  We all are familiar with rasam vada. Have you tried this rasam dosa?  It is really awesome if you are a rasam lover.

BEETROOT STIR FRY, BEETROOT PORIYAL; DRY SUBZI

I have already posted beetroot subzi    this is yet another version of dry subzi made  out of beet root.  I prefer to eat the beetroot subzi with curd rice specially.  I happened to eat this subzi recently at Ayyappan Temple along with hot rice, sambar and rasam.  Since I liked it very much, I prepared it with slight variation.  Normally, in South Indian Poriyal, coconut along with red or green chilli, cumin seeds are coarsely ground and added in the subzi.

LAUKI SUBZI, DUDHI SUBZI

Luaki or Dudhi or Bottlegourd is very good for health.  It helps in controlling the diabetic, weight and inflammation in liver and kidney.    Lauki juice consumed in empty stomach helps in   curing the urinary tract infections.  A very simple and tasty subzi made out of this goes well with rice, chapati is presented for you today.

TOMATO RAITA

Raita is a good accompaniment for pulao, roti etc. Any kind of raita goes well with the pulao, roti.  Here I am presenting a simple and easy tomato raita recipe for you.

BAMBOO RICE PULAO, MULA ARI PULAO

I have already posted Bamboo rice kheer.  Now I am posting Bamboo rice pulao.  This pulao tastes like the normal red boiled  rice pulao.  This is a medicinal rice too in ayurvedic and good for controlling cholesterol, sugar and blood pressure.  It also helps in reducing the join pain, back pain, arthritis pain etc.

bamboo rice pulao You tube

BAMBOO RICE KHEER, MULA ARI PAYASAM

Today is the beginning of the year four teen I mean two thousand fourteen.  May God Bless the Universe with peace and harmony.  Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu.  Thought of making sweet dish along with Poori and Choley today.  The bamboo rice which I got it specially from Kerala for making dishes out of it is lying in the store room for the past three months only I could make it today.  Though the Payasam or Kheer is made for the first time by me, it turned out very well and liked by everyone.  The bamboo  rice looks like brown rice, very small like the surti kolam or wada kolam rice.  It is quite healthy and Controls sugar, Cholesterol and Blood pressure.  Also controls, joint pain, back pan and rheumatic pain.  Good for night blindness, overcoming vitamin deficiency on pregnancy as mentioned in the pack.